Large traffic volumes on public thoroughfares may cause a number of undesired results. In one example, traffic congestion and environmental impacts from vehicle emissions and other pollution generated by vehicle large traffic volumes on public thoroughfares may cause a variety of negative impacts. In order to improve quality of life for users of thoroughfares, as well as for people and areas impacted by their use and operation, it is desired to manage traffic volumes. However, traffic management may be difficult and complex.
More particularly, thoroughfare users have many different travel requirements, options, and habits. Roadway networks may include public roads, regional and intrastate highways, interstate highways, public toll and access roads, private toll and access roads, and each road in a given network may be negatively impacted by traffic carried by or diverted from another road. Traffic problems are not limited to roadways and other forms of public/mass transportation thoroughfares that may experience or cause traffic problems include canals, bridges and ferries. Users may also convey themselves along and to thoroughfares by a variety of means, including apparatuses such as tram, train, bus, lorry, bicycle, wheelchair, taxicab, boat, plane, etc., and as well as self-locomotion by foot.
It is known to set thoroughfare user fees as a function of observed traffic volumes, for example raising fees to discourage use during heavy traffic time periods or lowering fees to encourage additional use during light traffic periods (in one aspect thereby attracting vehicular traffic away from other congested roadways). However, changing toll rates may destabilize traffic flows, in some situations exacerbating undesired traffic flows when too many vehicles respond to toll rate changes by using or avoiding the use of a respective road.